Wasn’t Zeldink’s post on the influence of Ken Griffey, Jr. in his life sweet? In fact, The Kid touched both of our lives in ways that that post didn’t even mention.

As I’ve mentioned, I’m relatively new to baseball fandom. In my early childhood, my family was more hippy/artsy types and organized sports were part of the machine instituted by The Man to pacify the masses and control our thoughts. (I may be going a bit far there, but it will suffice to say that I didn’t know the difference between a double and a double play until I started playing softball in high school.)

When I met my future husband, he was in that mad-at-MLB-about-the-strike phase he described, and I had no idea he was a baseball fan at all. In fact, when I married him, I had no idea. So I was pretty surprised when he started following the Reds when Griffey joined the team. I was doubly surprised to find out that following the Reds was a multi-generational tradition in his family.

Not being made aware of the fact that I would be a baseball widow was probably a breach of the marriage contract and grounds for annulment, but instead I got into the sport too, and a couple years later RHM was born.

So, in fact, Ken Griffey, Jr. is directly responsible for the content you’re reading right now, and by extension, the life-changing impact this site has had on us, our family, and our friends.

Thanks, Griffey 🙂

On an unrelated note, I’m reposting below what has always been my favorite Griffey-related post, back from spring training 2006 when Barry Bonds was pulling media stunts to advertise his short-lived reality show. Boy, those were the days, eh?

March 2, 2006 — I’ve Got It All

I'm an international baseball superstar. I've hit 708 home runs, my own reality show coming out on ESPN, and a newfound sense of humor. I've really got it all.

Hey, I'm an international baseball superstar. Sure, I might have only a measly 536 home runs and coverage in 100 games on Fox Sports Ohio, but there's one thing I've got that you lost long ago.

Yeah? What's that?

Dignity.

Ken Griffey Jr announced his retirement yesterday. His role with the Seattle Mariners both this year and last had been largely ceremonial, with him going a week between starts at times. It was a far cry from his peaks with the Mariners and the Reds.

Athletes, like all creatures, age and eventually must move out of the way for the next generation. But oh, what a generation Griffey was a part of.

I remember when Griffey burst onto the scene in the late 80s. I’d heard the name of his father from my Dad, who’d been a fan of the Big Red Machine in the 70s. But Griffey Jr was touted as better, the most sure thing a prospect had ever been. Heck, even Upper Deck placed him as the first card for their first ever series. And Griffey was only in A-ball at the time!

I was in the prime baseball card-collecting age and strived for that card, but never found it. Until my parents purchased one for me for my birthday later that year. I think it was my only present, but it was absolutely worth it.

It was Griffey that opened my eyes to the American League, opened my eyes to the fact that there was more to baseball than just the Cincinnati Reds. I’d wished the Reds would have been able to draft him, but there were too many teams scheduled ahead of Cincinnati. So I followed Seattle and watched as they slowly, inexorably built a team around Griffey and started winning more than they lost for the first time in franchise history.

The strike happened in the mid-90s and drove me away from baseball, so I missed perhaps his most thrilling play. His trade to the Reds for 2000 was what rekindled my interest in baseball and the Reds. It’s a fitting symmetry that the player who opened me up to the wider world of baseball would eventually bring me back to my childhood team.

His time with the Reds was beset with injuries, but there were still some awesome moments, majestic home runs, and the most beautiful baseball swing I’ve ever seen. I’m very happy that I got to see him play in person as many times as I did.

Athletes grow old, and the human body slows down and becomes more frail. It can be painful to watch, in part because it means we’re getting older, too. But there are times, when seeing that swing tickles the mind and brings back wonderful memories. Thanks for the years of entertainment, Kid.

4-for-5 tonight with a triple and a homer, and coming right off an ailment that had him out for almost a week. You saw the game. You don’t need me to say more.

Remember, you get 25 votes per email address. Yahoo, Hotmail, and Gmail are your friends.